Belleview Parents Raise Concerns Over School Consolidation Plan

BELLEVIEW, Fla. – For families in Belleview, the morning trip to school can involve crossing a busy Central Florida roadway. Parents say drivers do not always slow down or watch for pedestrians, and a proposed merger of two elementary schools has raised concerns that traffic and safety issues could intensify.

Angelia Peloubet takes her grandchildren to Belleview Elementary every morning. She leaves her vehicle at a nearby church before walking with them through a crosswalk on Southeast Highway 484, a two-lane road that becomes especially hazardous during the 7 a.m. drop-off period.

“It depends sometimes on the day of week and whether the Belleview Police Department’s out there,” Peloubet said.

According to Peloubet, motorists tend to be more cautious when police officers are stationed nearby. When officers are absent, she said, the crossing can become much more difficult to manage.

“When the police are not there to monitor, they’re speeding. They don’t try to stop — they try to roll through the stop instead of stopping for the crossing guard,” Peloubet said. “Sometimes we actually have to get involved and sometimes step out and kind of yell or scream to get them to pay attention to what they’re doing.”

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Consolidation plan raises new worries

Marion County Schools plans to merge Belleview Elementary with Belleview-Santos Elementary on one campus. The consolidation is not scheduled to begin until 2028, but Peloubet is already questioning how the change could affect school traffic and the daily commute for families.

“Unfortunately, the numbers do not add up, and I’m not sure how this is going to fare for everyone’s morning commute,” she said.

District points to new design

Marion County Schools told News 6 that plans for the replacement campus include “multiple significant-length traffic lanes to accommodate large amounts of car rider traffic.” District officials expect the updated design to reduce the number of vehicles backing up onto nearby roads.

The school consolidation will also bring attendance boundary changes intended to relieve overcrowding. As a result, some students currently enrolled at Belleview Elementary or Belleview-Santos Elementary could be reassigned to different schools.